Chapter 8: Night Companion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: Night Companion (1)
I was walking through the cave. But this time without limping.
[You have acquired Worn Leather Boots.]
[General Item Level has increased by 5.]
The boots were a little roomy. Thanks to that, I learned one more thing: the man's feet had been quite big for his height. Anyway, the shoes were pretty sturdy, so stepping on a trap wouldn't leave as serious an injury as last time.
[You have equipped a Two-handed Hammer.]
[General Item Level has increased by 30.]
This sledgehammer was made of a lump of iron and about three feet long. When the man had used it, it had been a two-handed bludgeoning weapon, but I was strong enough to wield it with one hand.
[You have equipped Worn Shoulder Guards.]
[General Item Level has increased by 13.]
The guards were made of iron. I tied the laces a little loose, and they fit just right. Wearing the guards without anything underneath, I looked like a gladiator.
[You have equipped a Backpack.]
[Inventory size has increased.]
Now, the blood-stained mana stones didn't have to be stored with the bread and were much less cumbersome to transport around.
Chew.
I took out a piece of jerky and chewed on it. There were only a few pieces, and they were little more than a snack, but they tasted better than the bread. I cut the remainder with a pocket knife and stored them carefully to avoid them touching any liquids.
On the second day, I had graduated from my uncivilized lifestyle.
When I was thirsty, I drank water from the water pouch. If I wanted to know the direction I was headed, I took out the compass, and if I wanted to know the time, I looked at the pocket watch. The emergency health potion I had would also help deal with any potential injuries.
How ironic. Now that I have killed another human being, I'm able to live more like one.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 1
Physique: 25
Spirit: 37 (New +1)
Special Ability: 1
Item Level: 72 (New +48)
General Combat Power: 81 (New +13)]
***
Smash was a good technique to use with a shield, but with the right weapon, it was different.
Crunch—!
A goblin disappeared into a flash of light with a single swing of the hammer. Had I known that would be the case, I would have just picked a weapon from the start. After all, I could have purchased a shield later on with savings.
Well, I hadn't known at the time that I could fight so well. Maybe it was because I was inside the body of a barbarian, but when I fought, I felt like my body wasn't mine. I should have been getting used to it by now, but I was still amazed by how this body continued to exceed my expectations.
"I'm tired as fuck."
Yawning, I picked up the two magic stones that had fallen to the floor nearby and put them in the bag. This was a change that had occurred at the start of the second day. The goblins had started appearing in groups of two. Tomorrow, it would probably increase to three, and would continue to increase like that until the seventh day, when the labyrinth closed. That was how it had been in the game.
In that sense, things weren't so bad yet. My combat power had increased with the new gear, and thanks to all of the supplies, the journey had become a little safer. Everything was progressing quite smoothly.
Except for the fact that my eyes keep closing.
Ever since yesterday, I had been on the move, fighting goblins. But I had only managed to sleep for less than ten minutes while I was with that guy, and even then, I had fallen asleep standing up.
I wanted to sleep. I didn't even wish for blankets and pillows. At this point, I could curl up into a ball on the bare ground.
I'm really gonna bite the dust if this—
I almost fell asleep while walking and tripped over a stone.
"Ah, shit!"
I had been lucky despite the fall. Had it been a trap, I would have been in real trouble.
"I might as well get some actual sleep..."
As soon as I made that decision, I leaned against the wall with my shield in one hand and my hammer in the other. Even though I didn't have any night companions by my side, it felt safer this way. If I was going to be ambushed anyway, it was better if it was by a goblin than by my companion. If it was going to happen, I had a better chance of surviving a stab from a carving knife. Compared to being beaten with a hammer in my sleep, at least.
Step—
Damn.
I woke up to the sound of incredibly familiar footsteps. They had been nowhere to be seen during my four-hour night watch, but just had to show up right when I was dozing off alone. I could see why that guy had told me to stay on guard.
...Stubborn bastards.
I immediately ran forward and drove the hammer into the goblin's head.
Wham!
"G-Grk..."
There had been two goblins sneakily approaching me, but one of them turned around and ran away as soon as its friend was turned into mush.
Yes, run away. I don't even have the energy to follow you.
"Ha, these assholes..."
When I checked the time, less than ten minutes had passed. In the end, I had no choice but to go back to the cave and hunt more goblins. When I was tired and couldn't stand it any longer, I leaned against the wall and dozed off for a while.
There were a few close calls as I was resting, but only two moments where I really thought I was going to meet my maker. The first was when I sensed a presence and opened my eyes. A shady adventurer had been quietly approaching me.
When our eyes met, he smiled guiltily, then backed away and disappeared. Just remembering it gave me chills... In terms of close calls, twice was more than enough.
Especially since another close call was happening right now.
[You have been attacked by a goblin in your sleep.]
For the first time, I opened my eyes to pain rather than a presence.
A goblin was right in front of me. Once I slammed the hammer down onto it and killed it, another of the fuckers jumped up.
"G-Grk!"
I immediately identified the cause of the pain.
Oh my god, there is a carving knife stuck between my clavicles.
In that sense, things weren't so bad yet. My combat power had increased with the new gear, and thanks to all of the supplies, the journey had become a little safer. Everything was progressing quite smoothly.
Except for the fact that my eyes keep closing.
Ever since yesterday, I had been on the move, fighting goblins. But I had only managed to sleep for less than ten minutes while I was with that guy, and even then, I had fallen asleep standing up.
I wanted to sleep. I didn't even wish for blankets and pillows. At this point, I could curl up into a ball on the bare ground.
I'm really gonna bite the dust if this—
I almost fell asleep while walking and tripped over a stone.
"Ah, shit!"
I had been lucky despite the fall. Had it been a trap, I would have been in real trouble.
"I might as well get some actual sleep..."
As soon as I made that decision, I leaned against the wall with my shield in one hand and my hammer in the other. Even though I didn't have any night companions by my side, it felt safer this way. If I was going to be ambushed anyway, it was better if it was by a goblin than by my companion. If it was going to happen, I had a better chance of surviving a stab from a carving knife. Compared to being beaten with a hammer in my sleep, at least.
Step—
Damn.
I woke up to the sound of incredibly familiar footsteps. They had been nowhere to be seen during my four-hour night watch, but just had to show up right when I was dozing off alone. I could see why that guy had told me to stay on guard.
...Stubborn bastards.
I immediately ran forward and drove the hammer into the goblin's head.
Wham!
"G-Grk..."
There had been two goblins sneakily approaching me, but one of them turned around and ran away as soon as its friend was turned into mush.
Yes, run away. I don't even have the energy to follow you.
"Ha, these assholes..."
When I checked the time, less than ten minutes had passed. In the end, I had no choice but to go back to the cave and hunt more goblins. When I was tired and couldn't stand it any longer, I leaned against the wall and dozed off for a while.
There were a few close calls as I was resting, but only two moments where I really thought I was going to meet my maker. The first was when I sensed a presence and opened my eyes. A shady adventurer had been quietly approaching me.
When our eyes met, he smiled guiltily, then backed away and disappeared. Just remembering it gave me chills... In terms of close calls, twice was more than enough.
Especially since another close call was happening right now.
[You have been attacked by a goblin in your sleep.]
For the first time, I opened my eyes to pain rather than a presence.
A goblin was right in front of me. Once I slammed the hammer down onto it and killed it, another of the fuckers jumped up.
"G-Grk!"
I immediately identified the cause of the pain.
Oh my god, there is a carving knife stuck between my clavicles.
...Shit, so that was why my left arm wasn't moving well.
Whew, at least I had walked out of this with just pain. If I had been a little shorter, or if the goblin had been a better jumper, this carving knife would have been embedded in my neck.
I clenched my teeth and pulled out the knife.
Shhunk!
Then, taking out the potion from the bag, I placed a few drops on the wounded area. As soon as I closed the stopper and put it back in the bag, my blood started to boil and regenerate quickly.
Chhh.
The dirtbag who made this potion, was he a psychopath? Somehow, this hurt more than getting stabbed in the first place.
"Ouch, ugh."
After about five minutes, the pain went away. A pain like that should have chased away all thoughts of sleep, but my eyelids were much heavier than before. If I stopped concentrating for even a moment, my vision went blurry. It was time to make the call I'd been putting off.
Although the body of a barbarian was attuned to sensing murderous intent, there was clearly a limit when trying to doze off like this. And just now, I only woke up after I had already been stabbed.
I need to rest.
When I checked the time, I found that about fourteen hours had passed since I left the guy. Perhaps the adventurers active on the first floor were slowly wandering around looking for night companions for tonight.
And actually, as I roamed the area, some adventurers approached me first.
"Hey, barbarian, are you looking for a night companion?"
And very passionately, too.
"Hmm, you look pretty tired. Will you join up with me?"
"Barbarians are trustworthy. If you join us, that would make three. How about teaming up?"
I felt like a popular prostitute. Maybe it was because we had all been in the same boat for about two days now, but today, no one brought up how I smelled. Or maybe the smell hadn't been the problem in the first place?
To be fair, my appearance yesterday, covered in blood and hobbling around thanks to my missing sandal, had been a bit intense.
"Really? How unfortunate."
Numerous offers flooded in, but I refused all of them and kept moving through the cavern.
Ha... are there no other strong barbarians around here anywhere?
My best bet was to find a fellow barbarian and become night companions with them. The problem was, even now on the second day, there was no sign of any barbarians anywhere.
"You're looking for your own people? Hmm, that's going to be tough."
"Tough? Why?"
"Even a barbarian who has just finished their coming-of-age ceremony will be upstairs on the second floor of the labyrinth within two or three months. I don't know for sure, but there are probably fewer than a hundred of you guys on the first floor by now."
When I looked into it, I learned that barbarians as a whole were rare on the first floor. True, it was strange for someone with a body like this to still be scrounging the first floor. Ninety-nine percent of the adventurers I ran into on the first floor were just regular humans.
"Why don't you join us instead?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"I see. Well, may Rafdonia be with you on your journey."
...Shit, so that was why my left arm wasn't moving well.
Whew, at least I had walked out of this with just pain. If I had been a little shorter, or if the goblin had been a better jumper, this carving knife would have been embedded in my neck.
I clenched my teeth and pulled out the knife.
Shhunk!
Then, taking out the potion from the bag, I placed a few drops on the wounded area. As soon as I closed the stopper and put it back in the bag, my blood started to boil and regenerate quickly.
Chhh.
The dirtbag who made this potion, was he a psychopath? Somehow, this hurt more than getting stabbed in the first place.
"Ouch, ugh."
After about five minutes, the pain went away. A pain like that should have chased away all thoughts of sleep, but my eyelids were much heavier than before. If I stopped concentrating for even a moment, my vision went blurry. It was time to make the call I'd been putting off.
Although the body of a barbarian was attuned to sensing murderous intent, there was clearly a limit when trying to doze off like this. And just now, I only woke up after I had already been stabbed.
I need to rest.
When I checked the time, I found that about fourteen hours had passed since I left the guy. Perhaps the adventurers active on the first floor were slowly wandering around looking for night companions for tonight.
And actually, as I roamed the area, some adventurers approached me first.
"Hey, barbarian, are you looking for a night companion?"
And very passionately, too.
"Hmm, you look pretty tired. Will you join up with me?"
"Barbarians are trustworthy. If you join us, that would make three. How about teaming up?"
I felt like a popular prostitute. Maybe it was because we had all been in the same boat for about two days now, but today, no one brought up how I smelled. Or maybe the smell hadn't been the problem in the first place?
To be fair, my appearance yesterday, covered in blood and hobbling around thanks to my missing sandal, had been a bit intense.
"Really? How unfortunate."
Numerous offers flooded in, but I refused all of them and kept moving through the cavern.
Ha... are there no other strong barbarians around here anywhere?
My best bet was to find a fellow barbarian and become night companions with them. The problem was, even now on the second day, there was no sign of any barbarians anywhere.
"You're looking for your own people? Hmm, that's going to be tough."
"Tough? Why?"
"Even a barbarian who has just finished their coming-of-age ceremony will be upstairs on the second floor of the labyrinth within two or three months. I don't know for sure, but there are probably fewer than a hundred of you guys on the first floor by now."
When I looked into it, I learned that barbarians as a whole were rare on the first floor. True, it was strange for someone with a body like this to still be scrounging the first floor. Ninety-nine percent of the adventurers I ran into on the first floor were just regular humans.
"Why don't you join us instead?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"I see. Well, may Rafdonia be with you on your journey."
"Thanks."
This man looked pretty trustworthy, but I kept moving along once the conversation came to an end. Now that I had learned that barbarian hearts were valuable, all adventurers had started to look like shady bastards to me.
Click.
I took out the compass. I'd been moving south since I got this, but I still hadn't gotten out of the goblin zone. I was once again realizing how big the first floor was.
...Should I give up on looking for my own people?
I didn't have to think it over for long. I decided to stop looking for a needle in a haystack and instead made a more realistic plan.
It doesn't have to be a barbarian. I'm now just going to find a night companion... excluding anyone human.
I decided to look for a fantasy race, which made up less than 1 percent of the population. My best bet would be an elf who placed a high value on oaths or a dwarf with a personality as valorous as a barbarian. It didn't matter much if they were a different race. Unlike most humans, they had patience. Given time, they had the talent to climb all the way up to the top, so they wouldn't be blinded by money and hurt another adventurer.
Having come to that decision, I wandered around the cave for about an hour.
And...
[You have encountered an unfamiliar, injured elf.]
I finally came across someone from another otherworldly race.
***
The moment our eyes met, a strangely suffocating stillness filled the air.
The pointy-eared elf was sitting with their back against the wall and staring at me without saying a word. Were they sleeping there alone with no companion?
Their amber eyes, which glowed like a cat's, betrayed alarm and deep hostility. It was clear they hoped that I would just pass them by, but...
As our stare-off dragged on, the elf got up with a nervous look on their face. They seemed to wince and groan.
Ack... hemmm—
The way they were holding their body was awkward. Upon further examination, I spotted a wound on their stomach.
"You're hurt."
It wasn't deep, but it was still a long cut... a cut that could not have been made by a goblin's carving knife. I quickly came to a conclusion.
"Was it a human?"
The elf didn't answer. They must have been afraid of me. I could understand that. I would also be very scared if someone of my stature approached me while I was injured.
Plus, this elf was also female and very small. Maybe not even five feet?
Anyway, this wasn't a bad situation—
"Spare me."
Huh?
"Please. Just this once, Mr. Barbarian. I have a younger sibling in the city I have to look after."
I was struggling to understand what kind of plot development this was when the elf knelt down to her knees without hesitation. At some point, tears had formed in her eyes.
"I beg of you."
Huh? What kind of elf is this cowardly?
To be honest, I had thought she would be a cool beauty type because of her appearance. Most of the elves in the game spoke and had personalities like that.
Whoops, if I had known she was this kind of character, I would have approached this completely differently. I should clear up the misunderstanding before things get worse.
"I have no intention of killing you," I said, careful to properly enunciate while making eye contact with her.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, so if I give her time to calm down, she'll see that what I'm saying is sincere—
"...Do you have to do this, Mr. Barbarian?"
What is she talking about?
Next came the identity crisis.
"Just once, please, let me go just this one time."
As my silence went on, the elf stepped backward with an even more fearful expression on her face and opened the collar of her shirt. I was dumbfounded. I felt like a pervert harassing a high school student in front of her school. This misunderstanding made me feel terrible.
What kind of life do these other barbarian bastards lead? What could our reputation be to make her go this far?
"Ha..."
I let out an involuntary sigh.
What do I do? Would the misunderstanding be cleared up if I showed her that I'm not that kind of scum with actions rather than words?
That didn't seem like a bad idea. I took a step back, took the herbs and bandages out of my bag, and tossed them her way.
"Treat your injury first. We'll talk after."
"This is... a licho herb...?"
So it was a licho herb. Now I could use it with peace of mind. I had been worried that it was poisonous this whole time.
"Thanks."
This man looked pretty trustworthy, but I kept moving along once the conversation came to an end. Now that I had learned that barbarian hearts were valuable, all adventurers had started to look like shady bastards to me.
Click.
I took out the compass. I'd been moving south since I got this, but I still hadn't gotten out of the goblin zone. I was once again realizing how big the first floor was.
...Should I give up on looking for my own people?
I didn't have to think it over for long. I decided to stop looking for a needle in a haystack and instead made a more realistic plan.
It doesn't have to be a barbarian. I'm now just going to find a night companion... excluding anyone human.
I decided to look for a fantasy race, which made up less than 1 percent of the population. My best bet would be an elf who placed a high value on oaths or a dwarf with a personality as valorous as a barbarian. It didn't matter much if they were a different race. Unlike most humans, they had patience. Given time, they had the talent to climb all the way up to the top, so they wouldn't be blinded by money and hurt another adventurer.
Having come to that decision, I wandered around the cave for about an hour.
And...
[You have encountered an unfamiliar, injured elf.]
I finally came across someone from another otherworldly race.
***
The moment our eyes met, a strangely suffocating stillness filled the air.
The pointy-eared elf was sitting with their back against the wall and staring at me without saying a word. Were they sleeping there alone with no companion?
Their amber eyes, which glowed like a cat's, betrayed alarm and deep hostility. It was clear they hoped that I would just pass them by, but...
As our stare-off dragged on, the elf got up with a nervous look on their face. They seemed to wince and groan.
Ack... hemmm—
The way they were holding their body was awkward. Upon further examination, I spotted a wound on their stomach.
"You're hurt."
It wasn't deep, but it was still a long cut... a cut that could not have been made by a goblin's carving knife. I quickly came to a conclusion.
"Was it a human?"
The elf didn't answer. They must have been afraid of me. I could understand that. I would also be very scared if someone of my stature approached me while I was injured.
Plus, this elf was also female and very small. Maybe not even five feet?
Anyway, this wasn't a bad situation—
"Spare me."
Huh?
"Please. Just this once, Mr. Barbarian. I have a younger sibling in the city I have to look after."
I was struggling to understand what kind of plot development this was when the elf knelt down to her knees without hesitation. At some point, tears had formed in her eyes.
"I beg of you."
Huh? What kind of elf is this cowardly?
To be honest, I had thought she would be a cool beauty type because of her appearance. Most of the elves in the game spoke and had personalities like that.
Whoops, if I had known she was this kind of character, I would have approached this completely differently. I should clear up the misunderstanding before things get worse.
"I have no intention of killing you," I said, careful to properly enunciate while making eye contact with her.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, so if I give her time to calm down, she'll see that what I'm saying is sincere—
"...Do you have to do this, Mr. Barbarian?"
What is she talking about?
Next came the identity crisis.
"Just once, please, let me go just this one time."
As my silence went on, the elf stepped backward with an even more fearful expression on her face and opened the collar of her shirt. I was dumbfounded. I felt like a pervert harassing a high school student in front of her school. This misunderstanding made me feel terrible.
What kind of life do these other barbarian bastards lead? What could our reputation be to make her go this far?
"Ha..."
I let out an involuntary sigh.
What do I do? Would the misunderstanding be cleared up if I showed her that I'm not that kind of scum with actions rather than words?
That didn't seem like a bad idea. I took a step back, took the herbs and bandages out of my bag, and tossed them her way.
"Treat your injury first. We'll talk after."
"This is... a licho herb...?"
So it was a licho herb. Now I could use it with peace of mind. I had been worried that it was poisonous this whole time.